The Truth
by TsubakiTwilight
Summary: Early on in their relationship, Sawada Iemitsu informs his fiance, Yamato Nana, of his involvement in the Mafia. The timeline is irrevocably changed for the better. Major AU! Strong!Tsuna. Pairings undecided.
1. Chapter 1

Should he? Or shouldn't he?

This decision would undoubtedly change his life forever.

It was morning now; Iemitsu had spent all of last night debating whether or not to tell his fiancée, the beautiful waitress, Nana Yamato, about his involvement in the Mafia. He even phoned Timoteo, who was in the middle of an important meeting, Lal Mirch, who yelled at him for interrupting her training regime, and Oregano, who was finishing up a hit. Two of them actually listened to his plight and gave him some advice; advice which really didn't help at all.

" _It's up to you,"_ they had said.

Like _that_ was supposed to make his decision any easier!

Iemitsu groaned softly and placed his head in his hands. Why couldn't they have given him a simple 'yes' or 'no'?

' _It's because there are pros and cons to both of those answer,'_ his mind supplied.

If he told Nana about the Mafia, there was a chance – a _huge_ chance, actually - that she would leave him out of fear or disgust – maybe even a mix of the two. On the other hand, there was the chance that she could accept everything and stay with him, but then she'd be in constant danger from those both inside _and_ outside the Vongola.

If he didn't tell her, Iemitsu would have to keep his personal life and his Mafia life completely separate; and the only way to do that, while still keeping his beautiful Nana safe, would be to rarely visit her - however, she could possibly grow to hate him for never coming home and leave him for some other man.

Nana leaving him out of fear or angry, or her being in constant danger, never able to _truly_ relax, living a life in which she had to constantly look over her shoulder… which was the lesser evil?

Iemitsu sighed loudly and stared at his bedroom wall.

Should he? Or shouldn't he?

Sighing once more, the blond decided that the best way to handle this would be to leave it up to Fate. He reached into his pocket and took out a coin; if it landed on heads, he would tell her – if it landed on tails he wouldn't. Placing the coin on his thumb, Iemitsu took a deep breath and steeled himself for whatever the outcome would be. Closing his eyes, he flipped the coin and caught it, gripping the small piece of metal in his hand for a moment before opening his eyes and-

It landed on heads.

\- letting out a shaky breath, Iemitsu felt his blood turn cold.

He was going to do it.

He – Iemitsu Sawada – was going to tell his beloved Nana Yamato about the Mafia. Thoughts of Nana looking at him with contempt and fear and leaving him or worse, _dying_ flashed through his mind.

"Get a grip Iemitsu," he muttered, clenching his fists. "You've faced down the worst of hitmen… you can tell a woman about the Mafia, no problem." He let out another shaky breath before picking up his phone, unlocking it, scrolling down his list of contacts to Nana's name, and pushing the call button.

The phone rang once, then twice – _Don't answer, don't pick up! -_ before Nana picked up with a cheerful, _"Iemitsu!"_

Iemitsu couldn't help the smile the crossed his face at the sound of his sweet Nana. "Hey Nana," he said. "How's work?"

" _It's been really busy today, oh! I saw Yamazaki-san today and she told me to thank you for helping her move in her furniture!"_

"Tell her it was no trouble at all… listen… when your shift ends could you come over to my apartment? I need to tell you something very important."

" _Okay! My shift will end soon so I'll be there in a few minutes!"_

"Great! … I'll see you soon."

" _Bye Iemitsu! I love you!"_

Iemitsu smiled, "I love you too, Nana." He ended the call and exhaled deeply. This was it, there was no turning back. The blond man stood and began tidying up his one bedroom apartment – it was a gift given to him by Timoteo when the Vongola Ninth had found out about Nana.

" _You'll need a place to stay when you go to Japan to see her Iemitsu,"_ the older man had told him one day.

Iemitsu smiled at the memory as he placed a stay book back on the bookshelf. He had thanked the Timoteo many times that day as the apartment was not only a gift from one of the most powerful men in the world, but it also meant that Iemitsu had the older man's blessings to pursue the woman he loved.

There was a knock at the door.

The blond froze when he heard the sound.

Nana was here.

Straightening up and taking some deep breaths, Iemitsu placed his hand on the doorknob before opening it.

Nana still looked as beautiful as the day they first met - with long, chocolate brown hair and eyes of the same color with pale skin. She was dressed in a simple lavender dress with sandals and the purse he had gotten her last month.

"Hello Iemitsu!" she smiled brightly and leaned up to place a kiss his cheek.

"Nana… you look incredible as always." Nana just blushed and giggled in response and Iemitsu opened the door wider to let the brunette woman in. The two settled into the sofa and Iemitsu asked if Nana wanted anything to eat or drink.

"No thank you, I'm not hungry or thirsty."

"Okay…" Iemitsu shifted in nervousness – he still didn't know what to say! "… About the reason I called you… I… there' something I haven't told you about me." Nana waited patiently as Iemitsu cleared his throat and looked down at his hands. "I… I'm in…," he paused, steeled himself mentally, and looked back up at the women he loved, "I'm in the Mafia."

It was silent for a moment before Nana tilted her head in confusion. "What's the Mafia?" she asked.

Iemitsu gaped at her. "I… uh… well… it's… it's similar to the yakuza…" Iemitsu managed to say after a few minutes of gaping like a fish.

"You mean like riding around on motorcycles and having pompadour hairstyles?"

"… No, I think you're thinking of a high school gang… the Mafia is… well it's basically organized crime."

"Organized crime?"

"Yeah, in the Mafia there are groups or Families and each Family has a boss or a Don, or a Donna if the boss is a woman. We handle things in the Underground World – things like: drugs, illegal weapons, and… killing."

Nana gasped and stared at Iemitsu with wide eyes. "H-Have you…?"

Iemitsu winced at the expression on Nana's face and nodded his head – looking down at his hands. "I've killed people; in fact, the day we met I had just finished a hit – that's what we call a kill or a job in the Mafia. I…," he paused and took a deep breath, "I'm telling you this because I don't want to keep any secrets from you, Nana. I love you with all my heart and I want you to be a part of my life, but I couldn't keep you and the Mafia apart forever. One way or another, sooner or later you were going to find out about my involvement in the Mafia and I just wanted you to know about these things from me and not from someone holding a gun to your head!"

Nana gasped again and Iemitsu immediately regretted his words. "No! Please listen! I _swear_ to you that if you stay with me I'll protect you with my life! I won't let _anything_ bad happen to you! I…" he stopped himself and took inhaled loudly before looking up at Nana with pleading, yet determined eyes. "I love you, Nana Yamato, and I will still love you even if you decide to leave. If… if you decide to stay with me I swear to make you the happiest woman on this planet; but I'll… I'll understand if you don't want to be with a killer like me… I'll understand if you're scared and angry and never want to see me again…"

Nana looked at Iemitsu with wide eyes. She could see the love he held for her in his eyes and the determination, the _vow_ , to protect her. It was silent as Nana thought about his words. Eventually she lowered her head to look at her hands before whispering, "Thank you."

"… 'Thank you'…?" Iemitsu parroted in confusion.

Nana looked up and smiled. "Yes, thank you for being honest with me, Iemitsu. I know I'm not the smartest person around and I don't know and understand a lot of things and that I'm far too innocent for my own good, but… well, to be honest, you are the first person _ever_ to be completely honest with me about something.. Even my own parents kept secrets from me in order to 'protect me' but you… you told me about the Mafia even if you didn't want to, even if it would put me in more danger… so thank you." She paused and placed a hand on Iemitsu' hand. "I love you, Iemitsu, and I will stay with you no matter what happens."

"Nana…," Iemitsu breathed, before a wide, relieved smile appeared on his face, "… _thank you_ for understanding… and for accepting me…"

Nana didn't reply, instead she cupped Iemitsu's face and pressed her lips onto his. Breaking the kiss, Iemitsu pressed their foreheads together and entwined their hands.

"… So," he began after a moment of silence, "how do you feel about moving to Italy with me?"

* * *

 **Okay, so I'm currently stuck on how I want Fujikage Ryota and my other stories to progress so I decided to rewrite and re-post The Truth while I wait for inspiration to hit me. This remake will definitely delve into different territories that the manga and anime didn't go that much into and will definitely diverge from cannon in some parts. What those parts are, well you'll just have to read to find out!**

 **Hope you all enjoyed and please let me know what you thought!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I.**

Gabriella's was a small, hole-in-the-wall bar located in one of the more run-down parts of Venice, Italy. It was a small building, unassuming in appearance, with peeling salmon paint and a roof that was missing a few shingles; in fact, many of its' customers and patrons were like the that: old and falling apart – though every once in a while, Gabriella's would get the odd customer dressed in a sharp suit, smelling of expensive cologne and leather and _danger_. When those types of customers came in, it was best to just take their order and make yourself scarce for the duration of their visit.

The current owner of Gabriella's, a young, dark-haired Italian man named Javier, was doing just that. He glanced at the two men at the other end of the bar – ' _Dangerous,'_ his mind whispered - before returning his gaze to the glass tumblers he was cleaning – making sure to appear as non-threatening and uninteresting as possible. If he could, he would have melted into the wall behind him.

Thick cigar smoke curled around the heads of the two men as they conversed softly in Italian.

" _How's the De Luca Family doing?_ _"_ the first man asked as he took a long drag of his cigar.

The other man took a sip of his drink before admitting, _"Not that great… we're struggling financially and I fear we won't have any other choice but to take the Abbadelli's offer…"_ The door to Gabriella's creaked open and a shadow was cast on the bar wall. _"Oho? Is that you, Reborn? Fancy seeing someone like you here."_

The person named Reborn took a seat next to the two men. _"Just came by to get a drink… this place serves the best espresso in Venice, after all."_

The man with the cigar chuckled and nodded. _"That they do… so,"_ he began after a pause, _"where're you off to this time? Rome? Venezuela?"_

" _Japan."_ Reborn replied, inclining his head towards Javier who had placed a cup of espresso down on the bar before retreating back to his corner.

Both men inhaled sharply and sat up straighter before turning to face Reborn.

" _So He has decided? The one in Japan will succeed Him?"_ the man with the wine said.

Reborn nodded and took a sip of his espresso. _"Yeah… I'll be going to tutor him."_

The man with the cigar chuckled. _"I wish him luck then… with you as his teacher he's going to go through hell."_

Reborn smirked. _"Of course… I'm the number one hitman after all."_

 **II.**

"Tsuna, catch!"

Sawada Tsunayoshi quickly turned and caught the basketball thrown at him before dribbling it down the court. A few of the players from the other team rushed toward the brunet but he deftly evaded them before throwing the ball into the hoop.

The teacher blew his whistle – signaling the end of the game. "Winner, Team B!" he called out.

All the students on the winning team cheered and gathered around Tsuna.

"You were so awesome out there!" one student staid, slapping Tsuna on the back.

"Yeah! _Any_ team with Sawada on it will win! You're like, a winning good-luck-charm or something!"

Tsuna chuckled and waved a hand dismissively. "No, no," he said, "it's not all because of me… we worked together and won as a team."

"C'mon, Sawada, stop being so humble and stuff! Take credit where credit is due!"

"Yeah! We could never have won without you!"

"We totally crushed the other team!"

"Hahaha! Team A is a bunch of losers! They're gonna have to clean the entire gym! _Again_!"

The rest of Team B began laughing as Tsuna glanced over to the other team. Unlike Team B, who consisted of all the athletic players, Team A was entirely made up of the skinner students and those who preferred using their brain over their brawn - and like usual they had lost and would be forced to clean up.

"Hey Tsuna! We're gonna to hang out the girls now that school's over! You coming?" a student asked as the rest of Team B headed towards the locker rooms.

Tsuna shook his head. "No… you guys go without me."

"Okay! See ya later, Tsuna!"

Tsuna waved good-bye to his classmate before turning to face Team A, who were looking dejectedly at the brooms and mops leaning against the gym wall. "Hey, I'll help you guys clean up, okay?"

One student looked up at Tsuna with teary eyes. "S-Sawada… thanks… you always help us losers out…"

"Don't say that," Tsuna says – a frown on his face, "you guys are _not_ losers, you just aren't good at basketball. No one is good at everything."

"You are." Another student said. "I mean, you're one of the top students in school, you're good at all sports, have tons of friends, you're good looking, _and_ I bet you're rich too!"

"But I'm not naturally good at those things… I have to put a lot of effort into studying and staying fit."

"Really…?"

Tsuna nodded. "Yeah. I'm not naturally smart like Hayato and I'm not _nearly_ as athletic as say, Yamamoto. I'm just average, but I don't give up and always try to do my best. In fact," he turned to look at each member of Team A, "if you practice and give it your all I'm sure you can get better at sports!"

"You really think so?" asked a bespectacled student.

"Definitely! It won't happen overnight, but if you dedicate yourself and starting training now, in a few years you'll be much better at sports."

One student clenched his fist and yelled, "Alright! I'm gonna clean up quickly so I can start training! Then later we won't be the ones stuck cleaning!"

"Me too!" yelled another.

"Yeah!"

"Thanks for encouraging us, Sawada!"

Tsuna smiled. "You're welcome. Just remember that everyone has their limits. It wouldn't do anyone good if you all went and got injured because you were too excited."

"Okay, thanks again, Tsuna!"

"No problem, see you guys tomorrow." The brunet left with a small wave to his classmates. He had to get home quickly, Reborn would be arriving any minute now and he had heard rumors about how Reborn treated those who showed up late.

Tsuna quickly gathered his things from his locker before leaving the locker room and the Namimori Middle School campus. However, as soon as he got a few blocks away from the school, his Hyper Intuition suddenly flared up, causing the teen to falter mid-step. Normally, his Hyper Intuition warned him of something or compelled him to do something hours in advance, it hardly _ever_ just flared up unexpectedly like just now.

The brunet quickly placed his foot down, lest he garner some strange looks, before taking a deep breath and letting his Intuition guide him. It led him down several unused side and one-way streets before directing him into an alleyway hidden behind some bushes. The sight before Tsuna, made his eyes flash a bright orange before returning to their naturally brown color.

"Hosokawa-sempai, Miyamoto-sempai, Shizuka-sempai, might I ask what you three are doing?"

The trio of teens jumped at the sudden sound of Tsuna's voice before whirling around in a mixture of fright and anger.

"S-Sawada! Wh-what are you doing here?! This is none of your damn business!" one of the teens yelled out.

Tsuna frowned and took a single step forward. "I believe it _is_ my business when the woman you three are harassing is one of my classmates and, not to mention, the _Idol_ of Namimori _and_ the younger sister of the Captain of the Boxing Club."

Sasagawa Kyoko stared at Tsuna with hopeful eyes and the brunet could see that the Idol's hands and arms were bruised and scratched, meaning she hadn't gone with the group of teens without a fight or willingly.

"Feh, you think you're _so_ great, Sawada marching in here like some kind of hero, well, what are you- no, what _can_ you do against the three of us, huh?! We'll take you out before you have time to beg for mercy!" With that said, the trio of upperclassmen rushed the brunet.

Tsuna merely placed his school bag down before dodging the punch that Shizuka threw at him and taking a step back to avoid the one thrown by Miyamoto. While those two were still off balance, their bodies pitching forward from the force of their charge, Tsuna delivered a quick punch to Miyamoto's face before bringing up his other arm and elbowing Shizuka in the nose. He quickly spun on his heel and delivered a round-house kick to the chest of Hosokawa who had attempting to circle around Tsuna to attack the brunet from behind.

With the three older teens on the ground, Tsuna turned his attention back towards Kyoko who was now staring at him in a mixture of awe and shock.

"Are you okay, Sasagawa-chan?" Tsuna asked, moving closer to Kyoko.

"I-I'm fine, S-Sawada-kun…," Kyoko replied, pushing her body off the wall behind her. "Thank you… I was beginning to think that no one would come by and help me."

"I just followed my Intuition… besides you looked like you weren't about to give up." Tsuna waved a hand towards the girl's own bruised ones.

The orange-haired teen grimaced. "If it was just one of them, I could've handled it; after all you don't grow up with a boxing loving brother without picking up _some_ tips. But, then the other two showed up and they managed to corner me in here."

"Well, I'm glad I was able to reach you in time."

Kyoko flashed Tsuna a small smile. "Me too…"

"Did you want me to walk you home, Sasagawa-chan?"

"I…," Kyoko hesitated for a moment, "…I'd like that, Sawada-kun. Thank you."

 **III.**

In the end, Tsuna was exactly thirty-eight minutes late to his house.

"I'm home!" Tsuna called out, closing the door behind him and taking off his shoes.

"Welcome home, Tsu-kun!" Sawada Nana said, greeting her son with a bright, yet concerned, smile. "Is everything okay? You're quite late…"

Tsuna gave his mother a brief hug. "Don't worry, everything is fine. I was just helping a friend out with something and lost track of the time. Is Reborn here yet?"

Nana relaxed a bit at her son's words before nodding and leading her son towards the living room. "Yes… and guess what! Your father's come home for a visit too!"

"Really?! Dad's here?!"

"Yes! Go on into the living room! I'm going to get some drinks and snacks ready!"

Tsuna smiled widely before entering the living room. "Dad!" he said, spotting his father sitting on the couch.

Sawada Iemitsu stood and gave his son a tight hug. "My little Tuna fish!" he exclaimed. "It's been a while since my last visit, huh? You've grown so much!"

Tsuna laughed – untangling himself from his father. "You haven't changed a bit, Dad! When did you get back?"

Iemitsu sat back down as Tsuna did the same. "A few hours ago; I wanted to spend some time with you two before leaving."

"You're leaving? But you only got here."

Iemitsu smiled sadly at his son. "I'm sorry Tsuna, but I'm needed in Italy… I'm lucky that the Ninth even let me accompany Reborn here."

"… It's that bad, huh?" Nana asked, entering the living room with a tray of drinks and snacks in hand.

Iemitsu nodded his head as Nana placed the tray down on the coffee table before taking a seat as well. "Yeah… we believe that Squalo and the other Varia Officers were the ones that unfroze Xanxus and we're trying to track them down right now. Not only that, but the Ninth's health is getting worse and there have been so many attempts on his life but we can't do much about it since the Vongola and the CEDEF are in the middle of trying to figure out if now's the best time to be revealing Tsuna's candidacy as the Vongola heir, plus there's dissonance and discord growing among the Vongola and our allies since Xanxus is missing and Tsuna's here in Japan… there's so many things happening at one time and each issue is just as important and the upper echelons of the Vongola can't decided which problem to deal with first." Iemitsu sighed loudly, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Don't overwork yourself, Dear." Nana said, reaching over to pat her husband's knee.

Iemitsu smiled weakly and placed his hand on top of Nana's. "I'll try not to, Nana."

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught everyone's attention and Iemitsu straightened up.

"Ah! Right, right… I'm sure you two remember Reborn." The blond gestured to the diminutive hitman sitting next to him.

"Ciaossu." Reborn greeted with a nod of his head.

"Reborn-chan! It's been so long since Tsu-kun and I last saw you!" Nana said with a smile.

"It's good to be back here… your cooking is some of the best I've ever had."

Nana giggled and placed a hand on her cheek. "Oh you…! You flatter me!"

Reborn took a sip of the espresso made by Nana and nodded his head approvingly. "It's true." Obsidian eyes flickered to Tsuna. "I see Tsuna's been doing well; athletic, popular among the other students, gets good grades, able to utilize the Vongola Hyper Intuition, and isn't afraid to help damsels in distress..."

Tsuna smiled in exasperation. " _Of course_ , you'd be watching me and everything I do, Reborn."

Reborn smirked. "I'm just gathering information about my soon-to-be-student, Tsuna."

A silence falls upon the group as Tsuna and Nana turned to look at Iemitsu. "Then…," Nana began, "the decision's been made?"

"Unfortunately, no." Iemitsu said with a shake of his head. "There are several things holding the Ninth back from naming Tsuna has his heir. The first being that Tsuna isn't of age just yet; the second being that there are _many_ that still support Xanxus as the next heir since he's not only of age, but has experience leading the Varia; the third being that some view Tsuna's leaving of Italy as either him running away or being just afraid of the Mafia; and lastly because Tsuna doesn't have all his Guardians while Xanxus is just missing one."

"But Xanxus doesn't have Vongola blood in him." Tsuna pointed out. "Even if Grandpa made him the next Boss, the rings would reject him."

"I told them that, but many are adamant in having Xanxus be next leader, claiming that you're 'too soft and naïve' or 'cowardly' to be able to lead the Vongola properly. That's all a bunch of bullshit if you ask me…" Tsuna's father grumbled.

Tsuna quirked a smile before saying, "They're probably just afraid of me and how similar I look to the Vongola _Primo_."

Iemitsu huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, they're also probably drunk off the power and might they have in the Vongola and don't want you to replace them."

"It can't be help though;" Tsuna said seriously, "a good majority of the Vongola's higher-ups and officials are corrupt and dishonest."

"The Ninth knows this and of your willingness to change the Vongola and that's why he's sent me to help you become a leader capable to doing so," Reborn said, holding his cup in his hands. "Think of me as the Ninth's subtle-but-not-really-way of endorsing Tsuna as the Vongola Heir."

"And Reborn will also protect you two in my place," Iemitsu added.

Reborn nodded. "Our first – and easiest - order of business is finding you suitable candidates to be your Guardians, Tsuna."

Tsuna nodded and said, "I'd like Hayato to be my Storm Guardian."

"Smokin' Bomb would be a good choice; however, I need to test his skills and prowess to see if he meets my standards." Reborn took another sip of his espresso. "Other possible candidates are: Yamamoto Takeshi for Rain, Sasagawa Ryohei for Sun, and Hibari Kyoya for Cloud."

"I don't want to drag normal people into the Mafia," Tsuna said, a frown on his face, "besides, Yamamoto and Sasagawa-sempai both have their clubs and family members to worry about and Hibari-sempai only cares about Namimori and won't like taking orders from someone."

"Yamamoto Takeshi's father used to be an assassin-for-hire, many years ago, and Sasagawa Ryohei has already had some run-ins with minor members of a small yakuza Family so sooner-or-later they _will_ be dragged into our world - and you _know_ what will happen to Sasagawa Kyoko when that happens." The brunet frowned sharply at those words. "As for Hibari Kyoya, he's already impressed by your strength in battle. All you'd have to do is gain his loyalty."

"Oh and how would I do that, exactly?" Tsuna asked in a sardonic tone. "His loyalty isn't exactly for sale."

"It's simple, just save his life once more and have him join your Family as repayment."

Tsuna's answer was quick and sharp. " _No_. I'm not going to force him into joining _anything_ out of a sense of obligation towards me. Besides, he's not the type of person to get into the same type of trouble twice."

Reborn smirked in response, satisfied with his student's response. "Good, we want Guardians and people to join the Vongola because they're loyal to _you_ as a person and not because they feel they have to."

"Then that just leaves Tsuna's Lightning and Mist Guardian positions vacant," Iemitsu said.

"I know Hayato will be my Storm Guardian as we've already formed a Bond, but that doesn't mean Yamamoto or Sasagawa-sempai or Hibari-sempai will be compatible with my Flame or if they even have Flames in the first place." Tsuna pointed out, leaning forward slightly.

Reborn hummed noncommittally. "True," he acquiesced, "then we should also keep an eye out for other potential candidates in case those three don't work out."

"But, I'm still going to offer them a place in my Family, if they want one, because I couldn't live with myself if something happened to them that I could have prevented." Tsuna's mind flashed back to the moment he helped Kyoko, only this time it wasn't a bunch of middle school delinquents surrounding her, but men in black suits with guns and fire; if what Reborn said earlier was true, and the hitman's information was _rarely_ – if ever - wrong, then it would only be a matter of time before _something_ happened to Yamamoto or the Sasagawa siblings.

 **IV.**

Though, Tsuna sometimes _wished_ that Reborn's information was wrong, just _once_!

The brunet was standing in the middle of the Namimori Middle School gymnasium, surrounded by his fellow students who were cheering and hollering for a fight – well, the male students were, anyway, all the girls were crying and yelling about, "Their Sawada/Tsuna-sama getting hurt!"

Tsuna let out a slow breath through his nose before flicking his eyes up to look at the four teens standing in front of him.

Who would have guessed that Hosokawa-sempai, Shizuka-sempai, Miyamoto-sempai, _and_ Mochida-sempai all had ties to the yakuza gang that operated out of Kokuyo?

Not that anyone else knew, but Tsuna knew it from their metal-painted-to-look-like-wood kendo swords to the knives poorly hidden in their pants and their not-so-subtle gang name sewn onto the sleeves of their kendo uniforms. It also helped that Reborn straight-up told him that the four teens were involved in the yakuza just moments prior to him getting roped into this whole ordeal.

"Sawada!" Mochida's yell broke the brunet from his thoughts. "I heard that you attacked my club members, yesterday, _without any reason_!"

A murmur rippled through the crowd at the Kendo Captain's declaration.

"Then, you are an idiot, Mochida-sempai." Tsuna coolly retorted through narrowed eyes, ignoring his upperclassman's indignant squawk. "Did they forget to mention the part when I discovered them forcing themselves onto, Sasagawa-chan?" The brunet was thankful that Kyoko had missed school because of a club trip, and wasn't here to witness the debacle.

Two distinctive angry yells – one masculine, the other feminine – pierced the air as Sasagawa Ryohei and Kurokawa Hana forced their way to the front of the crowd.

"They did _what_?!" both screamed, having to be to physically restrained by the other students to prevent them from lynching the three unashamed teens in question.

"Tch… a liar _and_ a bully, huh, Sawada?" Mochida said, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a couple pieces of paper. He turned to address the crowd, "I have here receipts that _prove_ my men weren't anywhere _near_ Kyoko, yesterday!" Tsuna rolled his eyes as the dark-haired teen swung back around and pointed his kendo sword at him. "You think you're _so_ high and mighty, don't you, Sawada? Being able to go around, beating up people whenever you feel like it?! Well, we're going to be teaching you a lesson today!" Mochida paused to pick up his kendo helmet. "We challenge you to a duel! When we win we get to order you around whenever we want!"

"And if I win?" asked Tsuna.

" _IF_ you somehow manage to win, then we'll do whatever you want." Mochida bit out with a glare.

Tsuna thought about it for a minute before nodding his head. "Very well, I accept your challenge."

The four upperclassmen smirked viciously before donning the rest of their armor. "We'll come at you one-by-one and whoever gets a point first wins that round!"

Tsuna simply put on his helmet before holding his kendo sword aloft. "Ready when you are, Sempai."

 **V.**

The fight was pathetically short.

Tsuna, with the help of his Hyper Intuition and his constant – nearly daily – training with Hibari, managed to _easily_ defeat them – twice, since after he won each round the upperclassmen tried attacking him at once which was _stupid_ \- and knock out all four teens.

However, before anyone could do anything, Ryohei marched forward and pulled Mochida, Hosokawa, Miyamoto, and Shizuka off the ground with ease before yelling, "OI!, WAKE UP! YOU AND I ARE GOING TO HAVE A TALK WITH HIBARI ABOUT MY SISTER AND HOW YOU RUN YOUR SO-CALLED 'CLUB'!"

The rest of the students winced as the Boxing Captain unceremoniously dragged the four unconscious teens out the gym. _'They are_ so _dead,'_ was the unanimous thought running through everyone's mind.

"Sawada!" Hana barked out, catching the brunet's attention. "You should have beaten those bastards up some more before winning." She snapped, marching towards the other teen.

Tsuna let out a soft chuckle at the dark look on Hana's face. "What I could have done will be _nothing_ compared to what Sasagawa-sempai _and_ Hibari-sempai will do to them."

"I hope they make it _painful_ ," the dark-haired girl hissed out through clenched teeth.

"By the way, how's Sasagawa-chan doing?"

"She's a bit jumpy, and who wouldn't be, but otherwise she's doing fine… though I'm glad she wasn't here to witness any of this… this whole thing would have worried her to death…" Hana lowered her voice. "This isn't the first time this has happened to her, you know."

"Yeah, I had a feeling," Tsuna replied with a grimace.

"This _is_ , however, the first time that the bastards have been from our school… but, _thank you_ , for helping her, Sawada. It means a lot to both Ryohei and me."

The brunet smiled softly. "You're welcome, Kurokawa-san. Now, if you don't mind, I have to go and think about what I want those four to do for me."

Hana's grin was sharp and vicious. "Make it humiliating, will you?"

"I'll see what I can think of, Kurokawa-san."

 **VI.**

"So, Mochida-sempai, about our wager."

Tsuna was currently visiting Mochida in the Namimori Hospital where the four older teens had ended up after their "conversation" with Ryohei and Hibari.

The other teen scowled at Tsuna before saying through gritted teeth, "What did you want me to do?"

"Nothing."

Mochida blinked, not sure if he had heard Tsuna correctly. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing, I don't need you to do anything right now."

The dark-haired teen narrowed his eyes. "What's the catch, Sawada?"

"There's no catch. I really _don't_ need anything from you; however, when I think of something I'll let you know."

"Fine… now get out of my room."

Tsuna nodded his head before getting out of his seat and making his way to the door.

"Oh, and Mochida-sempai, two things," the brunet turned around and the second-year student _swore_ that the brunet's eyes were a bright _orange_ , "one; if I _ever_ catch you doing what you 'members' did yesterday to anyone… what Sasagawa-sempai and Hibari-sempai did to you will be _nothing_ to what I'd do to you; and two; be careful around your so-called 'friends', the yakuza aren't known to be so forgiving to failure and humiliation." With that said, Tsuna swept out of the room, leaving Mochida alone with his thoughts and the brunet's warnings.


End file.
